Welcome to Children & Young People

The Safeguarding Bedfordshire Partnership is tasked with ensuring services are equipped to keep children and young people safe.

image of children playing

This section aims to provide you with useful information on where to seek help and support if you are worried about your own, or another child/young person's safety. We have included some tips and information on things that young people have told us worries them, as well as useful website links and video clips. We want all children and young people in Bedfordshire to have happy, safe lives. This can start with looking after yourself first, so read on.

It’s Good To Talk

It may sound simple, but if you are worried about anything the best thing you can do is talk to someone you trust. This could be:

Friend
Parent/carer
Teacher
Youth worker
Social worker

They may not always know exactly what to do but if they are an adult they can find out and help you. Just talking to someone can help you realise whether your worry is little and may just sort itself out in time or whether it is a big worry which means you need to do something about it as it is not going to get better until you do. Friends can be useful at helping you decide if your problem is big or small and they can help you tell an adult if you need to.

SOME WORRIES YOUNG PEOPLE MAY HAVE:

My parents argue and shout all the time

People don’t always get along. In the same way you fall out with your friends, sometimes parents can disagree over things. This sometimes means they argue and shout at each other which can be scary if you see or hear it. Most of the time adults are able to calm down and make friends with each other after an argument. Most adults sort out their differences by talking to each other. If the arguments happen regularly you could try to talk to your parents. If they realise that their arguments are upsetting you then it should help them to stop it. If you can’t talk to your parents or the arguments are violent then you need to talk to an adult you can trust. Click here for more information on domestic abuse: https://thehideout.org.uk/young-people/home/.

Someone is hurting me

You can be hurt physically when someone injures your body in some way such as hitting you or you can be emotionally hurt when someone calls you names or says things that make you feel bad about yourself. Sometimes in families brothers and sisters can be quite mean to each other but they still shouldn’t physically hurt each other. If you are worried about this talk to your parent or carer. If someone else is hurting you then you need to tell someone you can trust. If it’s other children hurting you then this could be bullying.

I’m scared when I walk home

It’s quite normal to be worried when walking around on your own especially at night. Lots of young people get concerned about walking past certain areas or groups of other young people. Click here for our top tips on walking home alone.

I’m scared on-line

If something happens on-line that worries you tell an adult immediately or click on the CEOP icon to report your concern

Useful Links